Most typically building structures, such as mobile homes, are supported and levelled above ground surface by means of piers located beneath the building. Parallel and lengthwise I-beams compose the essential load-bearing feature of the mobile home's undercarriage structure. Ordinarily, pier assemblies are positioned at the underside of the I-beams throughout the undercarriage. On the occasion of ground vibrations or seismic tremors, however, mobile homes have been known to shift off their supporting piers, effecting damage to occupants and property alike.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,989, issued to the applicant herein along with two co-inventors on Jul. 3, 1990, there is disclosed a mobile home support system comprised of a locking brace and clamping type piers that laterally restrain the I-beams from shifting off such piers. Thus, the present invention is specifically designed as a significant adjunct to the support system disclosed in the '989 patent, particularly the pier structure themselves. In essence the inventive clamping device operates as a key element that integrates a backup support system which is ancillary to the pier support set forth in the '989 patented disclosure. It has now been discovered that the mobile dwelling is even more securely supported during earthquakes, when a seismic cradle co-operates with the locking piers. The seismic cradle unit consists of a somewhat (1) smaller I-beam relative to the mobile dwelling/undercarriage I-beams, (2) two end-opposing stanchions, and (3) a separable two-part clamp. The two-part clamp is securely attached to the top flange of the smaller I-beam and abuttingly impends to the lower flange of the intersectingly upper I-beam.
To an appreciable degree, the prior art indicates that the building construction industry has been favorably cognizant of two-part clamps for uniting I-beams. Such awareness is reflected in U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,105 which issued on Aug. 11, 1964 to R. Capek. The patentee discloses a separable two-part I-beam clamp that securely engages some intersectingly intermediate site of two distinct I-beams. M. Nagashima, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,651 and issuing on Apr. 12, 1983, discloses a multi-part clamping device for attaching overlapping I-beams.
It is clearly seen that the clamping devices set forth in each patent is directed at tightly securing the intersecting I-beams, one to the other. Neither of the patented devices, however, show a separable two-part clamp disposed with a clamp-lip at one end, nor do these patents even suggest any use for such a lip arrangement.
The two-part I-beam clamp of the present invention is intended to remain tightly engaged to the top flange of a smaller I-beam while a L-shaped clamp-lip remains impending or fixedly hovering over the bottom flange of an intersectingly upper and larger I-beam, also termed the undercarriage I-beam. It is during seismic distrubances and under the conditions where the mobile dwelling undercarriage-beams vibrate, that the clamp-lip is engaged and causes the entire seismic cradle to move with the mobile dwelling. Hence, when the disturbance ceases, the undercarriage I-beams resume their position relative to the smaller I-beams of the seismic cradle. The undercarriage I-beams, while vibrating, literally pickup the seismic cradle by the lip of the inventive clamp, causing the cradle to move with the complete mobile dwelling.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a clamp for tightly engaging a comparably small I-beam at its upper flange while simultaneously providing a lip that impends in a state of readiness above the bottom flange of a somewhat larger I-beam that is overlapping the smaller I-beam.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method wherein a clamp interengages an auxiliary backup/support system during seismic tremors.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of identical clamps, abuttingly disposed to and impending above the bottom flange of an upper and somewhat larger I-beam, that effectuates an escape-proof channel for the larger I-beam during seismic disturbances.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent on referral to the drawings and detailed description.